Earlier this month the Obama administration proposed new federal regulations that would help small livestock producers compete with the corporate powerhouses that dominate, and in some cases, unfairly squelch competition. The NY Times reports;The rules could give farmers and ranchers new leverage in suing meat…
I love this idea of wildflower seed bombs distributed via converted gumball machines. h/t Kelly Rand.Here's how they describe it; Made from a mixture of clay, compost, and seeds, "seedbombs" are becoming an increasingly popular means combating the many forgotten grey spaces we encounter everyday-from…
This is a re-post from awhile back. One of my favorite quotes from Berry. I'm hoping by the end of the day today to have the manuscript for Year of Plenty, the book, submitted to the publisher. Then I get to spend the rest of…
Since I've officially taken on the mantle of "Food Blogger," Spokane Books Blog thought I should take a look at a recent artice, "Why Food Bloggers Are Here to Stay." Jenny An reports;Food blogs and bloggers have become a new staple of online food writing.…
Last year the Main Market Food Co-op in Spokane opened with great fan fare as the flagship enterprise of Spokane's burgeoning local food movement. The old Goodyear building was converted into a state of the art retail food facility, a large staff was assembled, funds…
I was chatting with Gary Angel from Rocky Ridge Ranch last night and he explained that his meat sales have skyrocketed this year. What took him 3 months to sell last year is being snatched up in 2 weeks - whole chickens, steaks, hamburger, bacon,…
Here's the recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb jam (one of our favorites) from the mother ship web site of food preservation, the National Center for Home Food Preservation. The recipe you use is going to depend on the kind of pectin you get. I usually use…
My participation last week in the KSPS show, Health Matters, was a great experience. I loved being introduced as a "food blogger." Introducing yourself as a pastor is such a conversation killer, so the show has inspired me to officially make the transition from Pastor…
This story out of England gives me hope for my five year old tomato seeds;...Roelof van Gelder, a guest researcher from the Royal Dutch Library, found 32 different species of seeds in 40 small packets stored in a red leather-bound notebook within files held at…
Go here for the online video of the KSPS Health Matters show I participated in last Thursday.
Euan Mearns at the Oil Drum has put together a couple of helpful charts that illustrate the current status of renewable energy production. Ironically, BP's annual worldwide energy survey provides the data.This first chart shows the rapid growth in renewable energy production (wind, solar, geothermal).…
During our year long experiment we lived with one car and as a result discovered the joy of walking the kids to school and walking to work and biking all over town. We stumbled into these things but it turns out there has been an…
I was talking to Jerry Tate of Tate's Honey Farm at the Farmers' Market last night and he explained that bee colonies are experiencing something that he's never seen in his 40 plus years of bee keeping; bees starving to death in June because there…
The above map via TPM shows the system of natural gas pipelines in the US, and while it doesn't show oil wells, it very plainly illustrates the intensity with which the Gulf region has been mined for natural resources. I remember when I first flew…
Picture: Cherry blossoms from the last remaining orchard on Orchard Prairie in Spokane, WA. Not every region and foodshed is capable of producing most of its own food for local consumption, but a new report on the Treasure Valley of southwest Idaho begs the question…
We had a our first family farmed meal of the season last night with our own garden grown Red Russian kale, foraged coral mushrooms, and oyster sauce all stir fried together with garlic and oil. It was tasty. I've never been a huge kale fan…
If you're interested in seeing some of the churchy side of my life there is an article in Presbyterians Today magazine describing our church's work with the Farmers' Market. You can read the article here. The best part is the picture of my daughter Lily…
Picture: Upriver dam on the Spokane River taken last week.This Thursday I'll be a guest on a TV show called "Health Matters". The once a month live call-in show is produced by Spokane's PBS affiliate, KSPS, with each show addressing a particular health issue. I…
Farmers' markets are up and running now around the country, even in northern climates like Spokane. I was having some fun with Google Insights to see what kind of trends around the country are revealed by people typing "farmers market" into Google. This first graph…
There are some rumblings out there of people wanting to boycott BP in response to their fumbling of the Gulf oil spill. The Atlantic Monthly has a piece up highlighting the futility of such an effort. They argue that all of the oil companies are…
Tuesday night we sat down for a great homemade pizza covered in onions, goat cheese and the last of our butternut squash. It wasn't all local but the key ingredient was sweet, deep orange squash harvested eight months ago from Siemer's farm. Winter squash, especially…
I'm having trouble finding time to get a post in today, but am planning one on our favorite seasonal cooking cookbooks. Eating locally means eating with the seasons and we've discovered a couple of great resources. If you can help me out, share in the…
This is old news but I came across this handy chart put together over at the NY Times that illustrates the comparison of US food consumption vs. the rest of the world. Along with highlighting the US dominance in the processed foods arena, there are…
A new study out of my Alma mater, the University of Washington, compared the Body Mass Index of shoppers at various grocery stores in Seattle and found a stark contrast between those shopping at high priced Whole Foods Market and low cost Albertsons.In the Seattle…
I went out hunting for wild mushrooms last night with some friends and while we did find some tasty morels the highlight was coming across an abundance of Fairyslipper wild orchids (Calypso Bulbosa) in the dense shade of the forest floor. I found one last…
The Year of Plenty blog was created by Craig Goodwin in the winter of 2008 to chronicle the experiences of his family as they sought to consume everything local, used, homegrown or homemade. That journey was a wonderful introduction to people and movements in the Spokane area who are seeking the welfare of the community through local foods, farmers markets, community gardens, sustainable transportation, and more fulfilling and just patterns of consumption. In 2009 and beyond the blog will continue to report on these relationships and practices, all through the eyes of a family with young children. Craig manages the Millwood Farmers' Market, is a Master Food Preserver and Pastor at Millwood Presbyterian Church. Craig can be reached at goody2230@gmail.com
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